San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is bucking recent tradition by staging the annual State of the City speech in the morning – and charging $20 to eat breakfast beforehand.

Reed says he would rather people pay their own way when the mayor lays out his vision for the coming year, instead of having corporate sponsors underwrite the event as in years past.

But critics charge the March 7 gathering will be an exclusive affair where the well-heeled nosh while working-class folks are left out.

“I can eat breakfast for a lot less than $20 at home,” said neighborhood activist Judy Purrington, who plans to snag one of 300 free seats in the rear of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Purrington and San Jose Councilwoman Nora Campos also said the morning schedule will make it harder for working people to attend. “Many residents will have to take time off their jobs,” said Campos. “My concern is that the people who will attend this are developers, lobbyists, people who are advocates for business in the city.”

Reed argues that the switch will lessen the influence of big business. Under former Mayor Ron Gonzales, the city sought tens of thousands of sponsorship dollars from developers and other business interests to pay for staging the speech. Gonzales was known for putting on evening events with flashy PowerPoint presentations, followed by a reception with light refreshments.

This year, city officials expect the event to cost up to $70,000 for food, parking, awards, Reed’s presentation and other technological expenses. But organizers say proceeds from the breakfast – some $34,000 – will cut the city’s actual contribution almost in half.

Reed, who swept into office on a campaign of open government and inclusiveness, also likes the idea of a breakfast, so people can talk around a table rather than sit in a theater and listen to a long speech.

Moving the event is the latest example of Reed’s attempts to distance himself from Gonzales, who was indicted last year over a city trash-hauling contract. Reed said he’s returning to a format similar to former mayors Susan Hammer and Tom McEnery, who held breakfast events. (Hammer later moved to an afternoon format.)

“I wanted to have a State of the City speech that had more of an inclusive feel rather than a performance feel,” Reed said. “It is just a personal preference for me.”

Nor does the $20 fee get you mimosas or exclusive access, organizers said. “I assume that it is just bacon, eggs and hash browns,” said James Reber, who is producing the breakfast event and who also worked for Reed during his campaign for mayor. “We are trying to create a new kind of government that isn’t paid for by anyone other than the city.”

Officials expect about 2,000 people to attend and have set aside 1,700 of those seats for breakfast-eaters. The remaining seats will be set up in the back for those who don’t pay for breakfast; coffee will be available for them free of charge.

Campos, who endorsed Reed opponent Cindy Chavez in last year’s mayor’s race, said putting chairs in the back is a mistake. “You start to create a tier of the haves and have-nots,” she said, “and that really sends a bad message to a community that has been inclusive for many years.”

Reed said he’s not trying to shut anyone out and expects that the event will have a diverse attendance.

“When you have 1,000 people at an event,” he said, “you have a pretty broad range of people.”

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED

The State of the City breakfast is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. March 7 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. A limited number of free, no-breakfast seats can be booked by RSVPing before Feb. 28. To buy tickets or for more information, call (408) 286-2600.